Hiya guys, Just signed in after a long time and funny you should mention a fire extinguisher.
I,ll get to that point later in my story.
Decided to get the B back on the road after a having it off for most part off this and last year due to another new baby girl and other family commitments.
So First Thing! I Needed to pay Road tax for which was a year and half and a fine for late payment which cost 357 euros
Anyhow! Exited to uncover the B and my awe how good it looked after such a long time covered up. First thing I noticed after opening the bonnet to install the battery was that my battery tray had rat droppings in from where I imagine one had been sleeping and nesting in the engine bay.
Now I know :idea: why my Tia would bark under the covered B at certain times of the day and night.
Anyhow after my small shock and clean up, I proceed to install the battery but to no avail.
It had died and even after charging would not hold charge no more.
So then I connect to my tractor battery and jump leads and she fires up.
WEY HEY! I feel. but then
I notice oil leaking from under the bumper
for which led to be from the oil cooler pipes.
OK, so now after my initial shock and surprise I decide to remove the bumper and investigate further. I notice that the pipes had been nibbled from what I can say must have been the rat or super mouse.
Anyhow, I now proceed to remove both pipes and travel in town to make new ones.
14 euros later and wey hey, a cheap fix I say to myself and two new oil cooler pipes.
So anyhow now back home I fit the new pipes, re-install the bumper and again jump start the B.
WEY HEY!!
Decide to drive in to town with the B and search for a new battery and lucky enough find an even stronger one than before and its even slightly smaller.
The only down side is that the connections are different and I would need to make new ones or replace my cable fittings.
Anyhow , I buy the new battery discounted for 80 euro from 125 and off I go to an auto electrician a short distance away to fit it, after some negative comments on my new battery, I drive away to a friends Car Radio shop and find myself two new Gold connectors for the new Battery another 15 euros and a half hour time fitting and we have one new battery and connections.
OK!! Now pleased with myself, I decide to take the B for a nice drive and cruise and head for the beach which is a 40 minute drive down the motorway.
Its takes around ten minutes through town traffic before I get to the motorway junction and just before I,m about to join it there is a last stop petrol station.
OK!
Now to the start of my story and the fire extinguisher.
Now I,m on a one way carriageway and I have past the entry to the station but suddenly feel thirsty and swing into the exit and into the garage before my 40 minute drive on the motorway. Leaving the B running I pop into get a bottle of water and look over to the B.
.
I see smoke rising out and under the B's bonnet.
My first thought is the oil pipes have come loose and the heat has them cooking or steaming on the manifold.
I run over open the bonnet and to my surprise fine a small fire burning beside the radiator.
Now just by the pump is the
fire extinguisher which I grab with the help of the attendant and extinguish the fire.
Now quite shocked by the experience and mess created but lucky enough I say that I pulled into the garage last minute before getting on the motorway.
Had it caught fire there it may have been another story and possibly a terrible end for the B.
OK! So now I need to clean up the engine bay and see the damaged caused. There is a jet wash in the station and so after a spray find the cause of the fire to be the radiator connections melted and which caught fire.
To my amazement the damage is minor and apart from a melted connection and the fans not working I travel slowly down the motorway to my nephews garage where we strip back the radiator loom and discover that the
Naughty Dirty little rat had chewed into the cables creating a short.
NOW!
after a having the bumper off again striping the radiator loom, A few trips for spares and wires, making a new heat and fire protected cabled loom.
along with the new battery, new connectors , new oil cooler pipes, another 40 euro and another good wash and valet finally have the B running and looking good again. WEY HEY!!!!
In all the excitement and shock of the day never managed to take pictures except for my new battery when I bought it.
Just adding up the cost of getting the B back on the road
:bang: 506 euros. and Id have to add a Fire extinguisher to the shopping list too.
So Robot and everyone , Id say its definitely a good idea to have a small fire extinguisher anywhere in the B because you never know.